


Simple Adventures Beyond

by RenToro



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Humor, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Plot, Slice of Life, kind of, very slight angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22901899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenToro/pseuds/RenToro
Summary: The thriving band, the Splatcculents, are finally going on tour. For three years, the teenagers had not been revealed to the public; only their songs. But now they will be seen by hundreds of their fans in many different cities.First stop is Inkopolis, where the group did not anticipate the fun experiences that will happen during their stay there. They actually make friends, whom they grow closer with as time goes on. They have turf wars and ranked battles together, which they can't do often at home. And they helped to save the world. Pretty normal days for a band when they are not working or performing.May their story begin now.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Some Notes

The members have aliases which correspond to their designated highlight color. The main ink color for all of them is something like a halo sparkle. 

Gina - Sunny. D / Sunny - Yellow (Octoling, Female)

Kieth - Flamingo - Pink (Inkling, Female)

Cedar - Sun / Sunset - Orange (Inkling, Male)

Naeyeon - SnowFall - White (Octoling, Male)

Ren - Atlantis - Blue (Octoling, Female)

Coco - Shadow - Black (Inkling, Female)

Dio - Turtlequois / Turtle - Green/Turquoise (Octoling, Male)

Paeton - Bruze - Purple (Inkling, Female)

Quite a few tags will be added as the story progresses.

A few characters other than the main characters are also ocs, like Kuruma. But a few will also be from other franchises, like Okegom (since that is one of the only few franchises I know that has humanoid sea creatures). The main cast is based on real people, otherwise known as my friend group.

Most of the manga characters come in later chapters, so sorry if they come in a bit later than expected. 

All of this is randomness and fun. Please don’t take everything seriously. And forgive me if I get personalities wrong for the manga/game ;w;

I will try to post each chapter as fast as I can, depending on the length of a chapter, or if there are things going on. 

By the way, thanks for reading :)


	2. Prologue

It was a normal day for the Splatcculents. Two hours of vocal, occasionally rap, practice, and then another two for instrument practice. Then, everyone would contribute to work on their upcoming single, and later, their album. The routine was tiring for the teenagers. They didn’t have enough time to make friends outside of the industry. They couldn’t even spend a lot of time with their families due to their work. In the end, the members were given a large apartment, which is also their studio. Still, even if they couldn’t make new friends, they had each other.

Paeton looked at the notebook full of lyrics. “Are you sure we are going to make these official?”

Ren shook her head. “No, not yet. We need to hear the track first, and then we all can decide if these can put the lyrics into the songs.”

“The concept is supposed to be darker this time.” Gina took the notebook and skimmed through it. “These seem fine. The soundtrack we produced could fit.”

Paeton began to leave the room. “I’ll talk with you guys later.”

“Okay,” Ren and Gina said in unison.

After leaving the two octolings alone to work, Paeton went to check on the other members. She first checked on the main vocalist and the dancers. She walked into the quiet living room. Paeton didn’t originally live with everyone, so she still gets a bit flustered whenever she sees the large, modern, and nice looking rooms. 

“Hey.” The three stopped what they were doing and looked up at their manager. “What are you guys doing? It’s so quiet.”

Dio asked her, “Should we add choreography to the single?”

“Well,” Paeton paused for a moment, “Kuruma told me that a dance video was going to be posted up, but it’s another group doing the choreo. I think you guys just need to come up with the dance.”

“What is the point if we’re not going to be the ones showing it?” Naeyeon complained. He didn’t really sound angry.

Cedar agreed with the dancer. “We have never revealed ourselves to the public yet. Maybe Dio and Naeyeon won’t get enough recognition from their choreography.”

Paeton sighed. “They are part of the band; they’re not just dancers you know. I’ve seen online that a lot of people like them, and praise the dances they’ve created.”

Naeyeon pulled out his phone and opened Instagram. “I need evidence.” 

With a small smile, Paeton rolled her eyes and continued to find the other band members. She went up the stairs, looking out the glass wall that showed a great view of Anahita City. The city was blasted with vibrant colors. The sky even had a faint, colorful shade due to the various lights. It was surprising how healthy the city was with the amount of industries, electricity, and production. 

Once Paeton made it to the top of the staircase, she went through the right hallway. The other two members should be in eithers’ studio room, Paeton thought. At first, she knocked Kieth’s studio. There was no response. When she knocked again, silence greeted her once more. It was clear that Kieth was not in her room. Immediately, Paeton yelled out Kieth’s name. The response from the inkling came from Ray’s room. Paeton went to the room and opened the door. Coco and Kieth were standing at Ray’s large computer set-up. Ray wasn’t with the two inklings, but the girls, mainly Kieth, were working with his computer. 

“Did Ray let you use his computer? I’m sure he did though.” Paeton knew that Ray was very generous and kind to his friends.

Coco nodded. “Yeah, he did. He’s getting something right now, so we’re just listening to some of the music he, Kieth, and Gina made so far.” 

“Do you know when he’ll be back?”

Kieth answered, “Maybe in thirty or forty minutes. He had to go to the company building.”

“Oh,” Paeton said. 

That was everyone Paeton really needed to check on. Each member was doing their job, and are keeping things well. She’ll tell Kuruma how things are when he comes to the apartment. Hopefully Kuruma will believe her too, since he’s been a bit suspicious that some of the members were slacking off, even though they were all working hard this time. Kind of. 

The thought of Kuruma scolding them again made Paeton feel unsteady. Last time Kuruma found out the reason why the band was still behind, he took away the access for websites other than the ones that helped out the members. He almost took away all the items that gave them entertainment, like Ren’s kendama, Kieth’s books of self written stories, Gina’s doujins, Cedar’s guitar, and more. Paeton didn’t want that for herself nor the group. At least there is way more progress than before.

As Paeton was walking down the staircase, a knock could be heard from the front door. Paeton rushed down and went to the door to open it, ignoring the strange looks she got from the three in the living room. She turned the knob and pulled the door open, revealing Kuruma. He was wearing his normal attire: a black, long sleeve dress shirt, a white vest, a gray tie, black pants, and octoling boots, which is a present Gina gave him for his twenty sixth birthday. Despite his faded pink hair, his friendly face, and his gentleman aura, Kuruma was very terrifying. Especially if he ever opened his eyes. Only if he was extremely concerned or angered though. Other than that, the humanoid tiger prawn treated the group as if they were his kids. He never found a partner, nor did he want to. 

“Hello Paeton. I assume you all are doing well, no?” Kuruma asked with his signature smile. 

Paeton nervously nodded. “Yep, we’re doing great so far.”

Kuruma laughed softly. “You don’t have to be so scared. The deadline for the album is in seven months. But, the single is, in six days.”

“The single is almost done. We just need to finish up the lyrics and find the best music track for them. Then there’s recording, but I don’t think it will take too long.”

“I doubt it should. May I come in the apartment now? I don’t think it’s appropriate to stay talking about our plans and progress here.”

Paeton stepped aside for the tiger prawn to walk in. Before she could shut the door, a gloved hand already closed it and locked it. 

“By the way,” Kuruma began to take off his shoes, “we’re going to have a short, but important, meeting. Gather everyone in the living room and then I’ll tell all of you.”

“Alright.” Paeton quickly left.

~~~

“Hold up. We’re actually going to go on tour?” Coco asked, trying to confirm the news.

Kuruma sipped on his cup of green tea. “Yes. I was informed that you eight would be going on tour next week. Apparently, the tickets were being sold a month ago.”

Ren screeched. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” 

Kuruma replied simply, “I was told about this only yesterday.”

“Why didn't they tell you until now?” Paeton was confused, since she was the co-manager after all. 

“I know you all have many questions right now,” Kuruma set the teacup back onto the petite plate, “but we need to get ready. There will be five cities we’re visiting. For each city, there are three concerts; that means three weeks. But, I was also told that we’re going to stay in each city for a month. I guess I was able to convince Boss to let you all get at least two weeks of a break.”

“Thanks Dad," Kieth said. 

Kuruma flushed, but only a bit. “N-No worries.” He was not used to the members labeling him as Dad or Father, but still, some called him by that. “A-Anyways, I will tell you the cities later. We need to finish the single soon.” 

All the members were going to disperse, until Paeton said something. “Wait, Naeyeon, did you find your ‘evidence’?” 

“Yeah, I did-”

“No he didn’t,” Cedar stated. 

Dio added, “Once you left he just put away his phone.”

Kuruma stifled a laugh. “It's a good thing he did.” He went into the kitchen to fix dinner. 

“Kuruma, can I help?” Ren piped up. 

For a moment, he was quiet, but his decision came quick. “I guess you can. It won’t take as long either. Come on. Also, forget what I said just then. You all can stop for now tonight. But keep it up tomorrow.”

Finally, everyone began to do their own things before Kuruma and Ren finished dinner. Coco was finishing a book, though she occasionally looked through her twitter. Gina, with Ren’s permission, was playing with Ren’s kendama, while Naeyeon watched. In her room, Kieth was writing stories. She debated if she was going to make them available for the public to read, or just keep them to herself. In the living room still, Cedar was practicing the guitar as Dio listened. Dio was looking through the web while listening. 

With Kuruma and Ren, the dinner preparations were going very well. Throughout the cooking time, the two had small talk. It was mainly about their day, life, and work. Ren wanted to bring up turf wars and ranked battles, but Kuruma didn’t have a lot of interests in that, nor was there anything exciting that happened whenever she and the band had free time to play. But she just wanted to tell their lead manager that she wished that the group can have more time to play turf or ranked matches. But it’s fine if they didn’t, since they could get over that as they get older and older. 

“Ren, do you still think of her?” Kururma's smile almost fell into a line.

“Occasionally. It’s hard for me, Kuruma,” Ren said grimmly. “It’s already been two years. I just wished that she. . . I loved her. . .” The octoling went quiet.

Kuruma wiped the water off his hand and ruffled Ren’s tentacles. “It’s alright. You’ll find someone as good as her. I wish you the best. Now, let’s not think too much on this topic; I was only wondering how you were doing.”

Ren hugged Kuruma. “Thanks, Dad. I kinda needed that.” 

Kuruma was stunned by the contact, but he returned the hug and wore a warm smile. He retracted from the hug and nodded at the eldest member. 

He called out, “Dinner’s ready!”


	3. 1

The apartment was usually quiet until evening, the usual time when everyone got off work. But, this early noon was nowhere as peaceful as other days. 

“Did you already pack my bass into the equipment?!” Coco shouted as she frantically looked around her room. 

“I saw Kuruma pack all of our music equipment into the truck with the stage sets!” Paeton told her. 

Cedar exclaimed, “Where did my guitar go?”

Ren zipped up her bag and suitcases. “Kuruma put it in the van he is going to drive!” 

Kieth, meanwhile, was making sure she got everything she needed. Being away from their usual belongings for so long won’t feel normal. But, Kuruma told them they “only needed to pack what they needed”. At least he allowed the members’ favored items, so Kieth packed in a few pencils, erasers, and her current and new notebook. Everything else she packed was clothes, necessities, a few chargers, her laptop, and her Fresh Squiffer. She read online about how there were turf wars and ranked battles in Inkopolis Square, so she was excited for what was to come.

Everything was the same for every member, besides Paeton, Ren, Naeyeon, and Gina, since they packed in advance and double checked the items they packed. When Kuruma came inside the noisy apartment, he cringed. With a deep sigh, he went to the four who were in a state of worry. It was only under twenty minutes did he assist the four in finishing their packing. Sometimes the group wondered what they would be without Kuruma. 

Kuruma clapped twice. “Let’s go everyone! Once we get to Inkopolis, you have three days until your first concert! Cedar, you’re going to drive the other van.”

“Wait why-”

“Cedar you’re driving, let’s go.”

~~~

The drive to Inkopolis was tiring. Cedar had to switch out with Naeyeon, Kieth, and Ren many times throughout the trip, which made all four sleep deprived. What was worse was that they couldn’t fall asleep that easily because of the sitting position they had to stay in, other than the person who sat in the front passenger seat. That wasn’t a problem in just Cedar’s van, but it also occurred in Kuruma’s van. Everyone was restless. Each member wasn’t used to a long duration of staying in a car. It was very uncomfortable. 

When the first signs of Inkopolis appeared, the band members stared and pointed at the city, excited yet still tired. The city looked almost like Anahita, but less modernized. The two groups met again at the fancy and luxurious hotel their Boss paid for, yawning while glad to not be in the vans. Before Kuruma confirmed their reserved rooms, the band tried to split the two rooms. After a few minutes of discussion, Gina, Naeyeon, Kieth, and Ren would be together while Cedar, Coco, Dio, and Paeton were in the other. They all immediately fell asleep when they flopped onto their beds. 

\---

A knock was at the door. Coco grabbed her phone from the bed-side table and turned it on. The dim, yet bright, screen showed the numbers “10:23”. Still feeling drowsy, Coco sat up with a groan. She threw off her blankets, got off her soft bed, and made her bed as neat as she could. Another few knocks were heard right as Coco was walking toward it. 

She swung open her door. “I fucking hear you, okay- . . .” Her voice trailed off as she stared up at Kuruma’s closed eyes.

“It’s too early for profanities, Coco. Anywho, let’s get breakfast.” Kuruma turned around to leave into the small hallway.

“Okay. . .” Coco followed the tiger prawn.

While the two were walking to the living space, Kuruma sighed. “I was originally going to cook breakfast, but I forgot to cancel the food service.”

“I mean,” Coco pulled down her shirt’s sleeve, “I guess you can take a break from cooking today?”

Kuruma scoffed. “Yes, that is true. But, I enjoy cooking for you eight. And Ray and Tojou whenever they are over.”

Coco shrugged. “Well, too bad then. You can wait until tomorrow.”

Kuruma rolled his eyes at the youngest. He remembered when she used to be more calm and serious. Coco used to be against swearing, and would usually rebuke her members when they did. Nowadays, she uses curse words, and she is comfortable with them. It wasn’t a good way of growing up, but she was getting used to things. At least, that’s what Kuruma believed. Coco still was a good kid despite that.

All of the other members were sitting on the sofas, watching the large television screen and eating their food. Everyone had a different amount, but they all had waffles with a variety of sweet toppings. Coco squinted her eyes.

“Nice. Waffles.” 

Coco went over to the small cart and got a leftover plate. She put one waffle on it, then picked her toppings; she poured a small bit of syrup, a small mountain of whipped cream, and a few fruits. After that, Coco took a seat between Paeton and Dio, since it was the only open seat on the long sofa. 

On the television was a news broadcast. The two reporters spoke about a few minor accidents in the city, recent events, a new clothing brand, and other things the members may or may have not taken an interest in. Kuruma was about to change the channel for them until they reporters said that they were going to change to the current news for Inkopolis Square, featuring Pearl and Marina from Off the Hook. 

“Keep the channel on,” Coco ordered. She _adored_ Off the Hook.

“I was going to.” Kuruma set down the remote back onto the sofa’s side table.

Pearl exclaimed, “Y’all know what time it is!”

“It’s Off the Hook, coming at you LIVE from Inkopolis Square!” Marina added. 

The two girls began to explain the current stages of turf war, ranked battles, and league battles. Naeyeon pulled out his phone and searched up Inkopolis Square. He read that it was a very popular, trendy area. When he searched the Square, some weapons and clothing stores, that had familiar brands, popped up. But that is not what he was trying to look through; it was the battles. It was the same as it was in Anahita City, though some other types of battles were not present. That was most likely the reason why Pearl and Marina didn’t say anything else. Naeyeon put his phone away, slightly disappointed in the lack of different kinds of battles.

Gina stood up. “And we are going there! Soon.”

Kuruma chuckled. “Well, one of your concerts will be around the Square’s area. Starfish Mainstage. It’s your first concert, too. Speaking of the concert, we should get ready to go to practice. We’ll look around after practice is over, alright?”

“No.” 

“aRe yOu KIdDiNg Me?”

\---

The stage was pretty standard. Whenever the group went to other artists’ concerts, the stage would be very similar to the same one they are performing on. They weren’t used to the whole layout of a stage though. The platform had a moving tile that goes from underneath the stage, and back up. The group was not informed about the tile at all. During practice, Ren almost fell through the tile opening since, backstage, Paeton was testing some of the mechanics she was not aware about. Somehow it happened again, and Cedar tripped over as it began to go down. Today’s lesson learnt was not to activate the tile until it was needed.

Currently the practice, sound checks, and machinery test were wrapping up. Four hours already passed, with two breaks in between the duration. Every member of the group wanted to leave the venue already. They are aware they need to keep going better with their performance, but all of them knew that they can do more the next practice day. Kuruma sighed as he saw the teenagers sing their final song. He thought they did well, but their movement and synchronization became more sluggish than the last. The first thought was that they needed to fix that. But Kuruma did know how they were usually cooped up in their studios working, so they aren’t too used to so much singing, dancing, and moving for a slightly long period of time. 

Kuruma tapped the extra microphone he was holding. “Okay, okay. That is enough for today. You all did well today, but there were still flaws. We can do better. D-Don’t take this too personally please, I’m just saying we need some work. I know it’s your first time and-”

Kieth called back, “Nah, it’s fine.”

“Alright… Let’s end for today. Let’s do more tomorrow.” Kuruma put the microphone back in the basket it belonged to. 

Kuruma turned off all of the electrical equipment once he got backstage. He had a few workers of the venue put the band’s instruments away while he was at it; they completed that task in the blink of an eye. He dismissed them and let them leave. Kuruma ran a hand through his hair. His part in the concert wasn’t too hard on him. Like Paeton, he had to operate the songs tracks in correct order, use the right lighting, make sure the speakers weren’t too loud, and so much more. But unlike Paeton, Kuruma had a vast knowledge of technology. Still, the inkling helped a lot with her talent of engineering. Even though she didn’t have to sing or dance, maybe it tired her out. The job definitely made him exhausted. 

“Dad, we’re ready. Why are you standing there?” Ren asked the tiger prawn.

Kuruma shook his head. “Ah, sorry, I spaced out.”

Coco informed,“We’re all going to look around the city. Do you want to come along or do you want to rest back at the hotel?” 

“...I’ll stay at the hotel. I’m sorry I can’t accompany you eight. It is not necessary, don’t you think?”

Ren raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“I mean, you don’t always need to be with us, but it's nice to have you around.” Coco shrugged.

Kuruma’s everlasting, small smile widened, somewhat. “I appreciate that. But I’ll still stay back. Tell the others that I won’t be able to come. And one more thing, come back to the hotel before seven thirty. I’ll take you guys to dinner then.”

“Hol’ up, before I ask something, are you going to be fine alone?” Coco asked.

Ren nodded. “You seem weary, Dad. We can take you to the hotel before we look around.”

“I’m not that old,” Kuruma laughed.

Coco tilted her head. “If we’re going back to the hotel, just to go back out, what’s the point?”

Kuruma put a finger to his chin. “Hm… Should I meet up with you guys then?”

“Probably,” Ren said.

“Alright then. I found out that there is a park nearby the city while we were on break. We could all meet there? It’s called Nerida Garden, I believe.”

“Eh, sure.” Coco played with her hoodie’s strings.

“It’s settled then. I’ll see you eight in about,” Kuruma looked at his watch, “five hours. Goodbye.”

“Bye. Love you, Dad.” Coco and Ren say in unison. 

The two girls flipped their heads to look at each other. 

Ren laughed. “We’re so in sync-”

“Ye-ah.” Coco laughed as well.

After the girls bid their last goodbyes once more, they left Kuruma alone. On the walk back to the others, the two began to talk about random topics, such as idols and social media, mainly Splatstagram and Twitter. On Twitter, because she used that more, Coco had both a stan and normal account , but she kept that one private. Since she was more with Splatstagram, Ren had a photography account, art account and, too, a private account. The talk about their social media didn’t last long, as they started to talk about the things they’ll see in the city and what they hope to see. That talk also didn’t last long since the inkling and octoling arrived to the other members, who were sitting on the floor. 

Dio asked, “Where’s Kuruma?”

Coco said, “He’s not coming. He’s going back to the hotel.”

“Really? Why not?” Gina stood up. 

“Not sure… If anything, he could probably be tired. But he didn't tell us directly,” Coco told them.

Cedar got out of his chair. “If he really does need rest, we should let him be.”

The group all agreed, nodding their head or muttering “yes”. 

Ren added on, “By the way, we have to meet up at Ner...ida Garden?”

“Yeah, Nerida Garden,” Coco repeated.

Ren continued, “To meet up with Kuruma. We’re going to go eat somewhere for dinner.”

“Aight. Do you know where we’re going to eat though?” Kieth twirled around her pink, sparkly fedora.

Coco and Ren looked at each other. “Uh-”

Ren said, “Let’s just get going.”

The group only left after they doubled checked everything, from the equipment, to the set, and workers. Kuruma already left, but he most likely left through one of the other exits since none of the members spotted his departure. After making sure everything was fine, they all left the venue to do their own things. Their first thought was to split up. But since they didn’t have a lot of trust in each other to be alone, the group stayed together. If they did split up, they all wouldn’t be too far from each other. 

The first stop was a shopping district. From the looks of it, the area was like a tourist attraction. That, and that it was just a very populated shopping place. Many inklings roamed the streets of the busy city. On occasion, there were some octolings, but they seemed as if they wanted to keep their identity as an octoling a secret; most were wearing masks or had their jacket’s hood over their head. It made the four octolings of the group feel conscious, though Naeyeon and Dio wore headgear that covered most of their facial features. The inklings of the group noticed the discomfort the four had due to the lack of octolings, and the fact that the octolings they saw basically hid themselves. 

Kieth pat Ren’s back. “Hey, maybe there just aren’t a lot of octolings in this area?”

Gena shrugged. “I guess. But for a popular city, shouldn’t there be more people then?”

“And why do they need to cover up?” Dio whisper-yelled. 

Paeton faked a cough. “ We should be looking around instead of worrying right now? Maybe it’s just this place?”

Ren sighed. “Hopefully. Most places aren’t exactly open to octarians due to the Great Turf War, you know?”

“Welp,” Coco turned off her Squid Phone, “can’t do anything really. Also, your guys' features are different and pretty noticeable. I doubt that anyone cares here.”

Coco opened the door to a music store. She wanted to get an album from Wet Floor and Chirpy Chips. Gina and Naeyeon went to listen to song samples in the corner that had two pairs of headphones connected to a small screen attached to the wall. Ren also picked up an album from Diss-Pair, SashiMori, and Ink Theory. The Diss-Pair album was for Kieth, since the octoling picked up the last copy in the store. But she wanted it to be a small surprise for later. With Cedar, he was looking at a CD. It was by Hightide Era. The band only had two songs, but he liked them. The inkling took a copy off the shelf. Dio and Kieth were looking at CDs that were from anime and game soundtracks. Both didn’t get anything. Their options were limited at this store, as it was much smaller and isolated. Lastly, there was Paeton. She actually didn’t care to get anything from the store. She doesn’t listen to a lot of artists outside of Anahita City. 

“Are you guys done yet? We’ve been here for almost twenty minutes.” Paeton groaned.

“I just need to pay,” Cedar said.

Ren put her albums on the check-out counter. “Same.”

The jellyfish scanned the albums. “Are you all from another city?”

The octoling nodded. “Yep. We’re from Anahita City.”

The jellyfish seemed a tiny bit more excited. “No wonder why you all seem so fresh! Is it cool there?”

Cedar looked at the back of the CD case he held. “It is. A lot of people are nice, too.”

The jellyfish was a very kind and innocent one. He ended up giving the group a few freebies, even with their polite protests. Once the band and their manager left the store, Gena started to mutter how bad she felt, repetitively. The products the jellyfish gave them were in good condition too. 

“Should we have accepted these?” Gina asked.

Dio said to her, “Well, he was persistent about giving us this stuff.”

“Maybe it would be rude if we didn’t take it though?” Cedar made his statement more of a question. 

Ren closed her bag. “I feel bad too. But he was very nice.”

“Yeah,” Kieth tilted her fedora up, “same here.”

“I mean, I wish we could do something, but it is what it is.” Coco shoved her hands inside her hoodie’s pockets. “We still need to look around this place. I didn’t think this city was as big as Google said-”

Naeyeon, intentionally, interrupted. “Never trust the internet.”

Coco punched Naeyeon’s arm, but not that hard. “I was talking, dumbass.” 

“So?” He replied with sass.

Gina giggled. “Just let her talk Naeyeon.”

Coco continued, “Anyway, there’s just a lot here to explore. We should try to _use_ the spare time we have now to look around.”

Cedar said, “Well, we got nothing else to do, so-” He shrugged. 


	4. 2

Today, the concert was okay. At least I think it was. From what I saw, the fans liked it a lot. Everyone seemed to be happy performing as well, even if they also looked exhausted afterwards. But I think we can do better as time goes on. Sure, there will be mistakes, but we will become better and better. I hope so. I mean, i’m sure

“What are you writing?” Cedar looked down at Ren’s notebook. 

“Oh,” Ren closed the notebook, “the concert. By the way, what did you think about it?”

Cedar thought for a moment. “I mean, it was fine I guess. But it was tiring.”

Ren smiled as she looked at the small, dark blue notebook. “Still, I think we did fine and everything.

.

.

.

Tonight was the concert. That was the thought that clouded everyone’s mind. Many fans were anticipating to finally see the band. In Inkopolis Square, quite a few inklings, and the occasional octolings, could be heard speaking about the mysterious group. The frequent talk about them confused Specs. He heard of the band’s music before, and he really did enjoy it. But he wasn’t a hardcore fan, thus, not knowing why everyone was so estatic. Slowly, he became more and more curious. What finally made him question the topic was when Headphones began to join in on the talk.

Specs put a finger to his chin. “Why is everyone so excited over the Splatcculents?”

Headphones beamed. “They have never revealed themselves since their debut. It’s going to be the first time that they are going public!” 

“Didn’t you get a ticket to their concert?” Bobble Hat asked as she interacted with a jellyfish. 

“Yep! I can’t wait to see them!” Headphones smiled brightly.

Specs adjusted his glasses. “I hope you have fun then.” A smile spread across his lips. Then he came back to his senses. “Where is Goggles? He is supposed to be here by now.”

Headphones blinked twice. “Right. It’s been a while too.”

Bobble Hat laughed. “He probably didn’t hear his alarm again, haha!”

“Most likely,” Headphones agreed. 

Coincidentally the last member arrived. “Sorry I’m late! I overslept!!” Goggles swam up to his team.

Specs shook his head. “Ugh, it's fine. Didn’t wake up to your alarm again?”

“Yep.”

“But I thought you made your alarm sound louder now.” Bobble Hat said in her usual, happy tone. 

Goggles sheepishly smiled. “I thought I did too.”

“I-” Specs sighed in exasperation. “At least you are here now.”

With a small smile, Headphones said, “We should get going then?”

“You seem very happy Headphones, and more than usual!” Goggles pointed out.

“Right,” Specs looked at Headphones, “when are you leaving for tonight, Headphones?”

Headphones immediately answered, “Around six. The concert starts at seven thirty, but I think there will be a lot of people considering the venue.”

Bobble Hat walked over to the three. “Didn’t you get the VIP ticket too?”

Headphones flushed. “Y-Yeah.”

“How much was it?” Specs deadpanned.

“It isn’t as much as you think, Specs,” Headphones said with a weary smile.

Specs pushed his frames up. “If you say so. Now we can go. We have a few hours left too before Headphones needs to get ready.”

Team Blue set off to Deca Tower, ready to have some turf war matches. Perhaps even a few ranked battles. 

\---

Dio took off his headgear, the Anglerfish Mask, and set it onto the desk in front of him. The stylists planned for him and Naeyeon to not wear a mask during the performance, as they said it was going to be in the way. They weren’t wrong. Sometimes it was a bit bothersome to both Dio and Naeyeon whenever they forgot to take off their headgear and practiced dancing. But both octolings felt more secure when they wore something that covered their entire face. 

Naeyeon set his Fresh Fish Head next to Dio’s. “Do you think the fans will like us?”

“Don’t know. It doesn’t matter too much to me, to be honest.”

Gina, who was nearby, popped in. “We’ll be fine,” she made a dramatic pose, “since we’re so fabulous!” Gina grinned.

“But seriously though,” she straightened her posture, “don’t think so negatively. The fans are going to love each and every one of us!”

Dio stared at her. “Are you sure about that?” He didn’t get a response, except a blank face from both octolings. “Just kidding.”

“Hey, are you guys almost ready?” Paeton asked, opening the door wider.

Both Naeyeon and Dio instantly took their chosen clothing for the concert. “Uh, yeah, almost,” Naeyeon said. 

“No they’re not,” Gina exposed.

“You guys have thirty minutes! People are already coming in!” Paeton rushed away. 

Gina began to follow the inkling. “She’s right, we need to hurry. You know where we have to meet right?”

The two said in unison, “Yep!” 

When Gina left, Naeyeon asked, “Where are we meeting up again? It was below the stage?”

“Oh my god Naeyeon-,” Dio facepalmed.

\---

The closing remarks of the concert had a few of the members feel jittery. Coco, Gina, and Kieth were the only ones who were able to keep cool while bidding their fans goodbye. The other four either didn’t know what to say, or knew but were too nervous. Ren felt as if she was going to cry as she stuttered out a few of her words. On the other hand, the boys tried their best to not laugh at themselves, due to their anxiety. 

“I’m going to cry.” Ren looked down at the ground.

Gina patted her head. “It’s fine. It’s our first concert after all.” 

Ren took a deep breath. “I know. . .”

Coco hit Naeyeon’s shoulder. “Why did you keep laughing idiot?!”

Naeyeon yelped. “ They were laughing so I laughed.” He pointed to Dio and Cedar.

Kieth said, “Yo, we should get to the VIP meeting.”

“Isn’t that in fifteen minutes though?” Dio looked at his watch.

“No,” Cedar looked at the schedule, “it’s in eight minutes.”

“Shouldn’t we be going to the meeting area then?” Kieth questioned.

A small moment of pure silence passed by.

“Yes,” everyone said.

It would be exaggerated to say that the group was late. The VIP fans were present when the group arrived, but they still weren’t considerably late. There were only ten VIP fans that came to the meet up. The amount was confusing, looking back to the huge crowd that showed to the concert. 

But when the band came in sight, the ten started to fangirl and fanboy; they still kept their distance out of respect. Headphones’s eyes gleamed with joy and excitement. One of her favorite bands was right in front of her. She lightly squeezed her squidphone.

“Hello!” Gina exclaimed. “Did you all like the concert?”

“Of course!”

“Yes we did.”

“Mhmm.”

Those were the answers that went by across the fans. Headphones bashfully said, “You seven did great out there.”

Kieth rolled up her jacket’s sleeves. “Awh, thanks.”

Naeyeon nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

“Are you ten the only ones?” Coco took off her shades.

An inkling boy answered, “There were only ten available for this night.”

“I think there were more spots for the other two concert dates though,” said an inkling girl.

One of the octolings asked the group, “Did you all not know?”

Ren nervously laughed. “We actually weren’t told about the concert until after the tickets sold out. But hey, at least we can see our fans, right?”

“Speaking of which, what do we do?” Dio looked at his bandmates, who were giving him stares of disappointment. Coco had more of a glare, though it was meant to be playful than menacing. “I’m joking!”

The ten fans chuckled and giggled. “You all really get along.” Headphones smiled.

“You can say that.” Coco softly hit Dio.

“Hey, no violence,” Cedar joked.

“Anyway,” Coco turned back to the ten, “what do y’all want to do?”

A soft voice muttered, “M-May we have a picture? It can be separate or all together, or something. . . W-whatever is fine with you guys” The inkling’s cheeks were noticeably red. 

Ren whispered to Gina, “My heart busted an uwu-”

“Same.” Gina tried her best to not ‘aww’ out loud.

Kieth shrugged. “We can do both.”

“Y-Y-You don’t have to do it. I-I was just- it-it’s okay if-”

The octoling next to him put a hand onto his shoulder. “Hey, it’s alright. You don’t need to feel afraid.” He gave the inkling a genuine, small smile.

Gina whispered to Ren, “Yo, I ship-”

Ren lightly hit Gina, stifling a laugh. “Oh god, Gina. Please don’t.”

“Why don’t we take the pictures now? If we do them now, we can have more time to interact,” Headphones suggested.

Naeyeon agreed. “We can do that.”

Everyone then brought out their squidphones and octophones.

\---

“They were very nice.” Ren had a cat smile.

Cedar bit into the apple he was holding. “Yeah.”

Ren opened her notebook again and scribbled more of the concert events into it. “Do you think we’ll come across those ten again? It’d be nice to see them once more.”

“I don’t know. There are a lot of people in this city.” 

“True, true.” Ren messily wrote down a few words.

“I see you two are up early. _Very_ early.” Kuruma sat down on the single sofa. “It’s four in the morning, and we came back at twelve.” 

Ren admitted as she wrote, “Couldn’t fall asleep.”

Kuruma put his gaze upon Cedar. “Cedar?”

The tiger prawn’s closed-eye stare was piercing. At least it felt like that to Cedar. “I couldn’t fall asleep either.”

Kuruma stood up, and stepped to the kitchen area. “Alright. But try to take a nap within the day.”

Cedar stopped Kuruma. “Why are you awake?”

Kuruma paused. “Work. That’s all I can really say, honestly.”

Ren’s attention averted. “Are you getting enough rest? 

Still, Kuruma did not face the two. He did not want them to worry too much about his health. “I am. Just not tonight. The concert really did wear us out.” He sped to the kitchen.

Once he was out, Ren murmured, “Is Dad really okay?”

Cedar pat her head. “I hope so.”

Ren shut her notebook. “We need to tell the others. Or at least convince him to take a break. . . Or-”

“We can, but we have to do it later.” 


	5. 3

“So, we’re going to split up?” Paeton put up her hood. 

“Well,” Gina toyed with her phone, “we’re all not going to stay alone. Some of us are staying together. Cedar, Kieth, Coco, and I are going to an arcade. And Dio and Naeyeon are going shopping for some things. You’re staying with Ren I assume?”

Paeton nodded. “Yeah. We were going to work on stuff or whatever.”

“It’s our day off from practice, you guys don’t need to work.”

“That’s what I tried telling her.” Paeton looked down. 

Gina furrowed her eyebrows. “Tell her to not overwork herself. Kuruma told us to relax today.”

“I’ll try to convince her.” Paeton turned her heel, away from Gina’s direction. “We’ll see you guys later.”

“Goodbye!” Gina ran to the direction of the arcade. She had to quickly catch up with the others.

Unlike her friend, Paeton took her time to meet up with Ren. Ren was at a nearby beach. Paeton was curious about the octoling’s choice in the location, but didn’t really care about that. She thought more about how she needed to get Ren off of working on lyrics when nothing is due soon, nor is there a plan yet for the next album. Paeton took a deep breath and kicked away a large pebble that was near her boots. 

The walk to the beach was not bad. It felt as if it was merely five minutes to Paeton. The only problem though: there were a lot of inklings, octolings, jellyfish, and many kinds of people. ‘Why would she want to work in an area like this?’ Paeton thought. 

Perplexed, Paeton, at a slow pace, walked onto the sand. Ren should be easy to find. Their ink color and her signature blue highlight should make her pop within the crowd. In reality, it was difficult. Then it hit Paeton that the group “disguised” themselves. After the concert, many pictures and videos were posted onto the internet, and all of which blew up. The group wanted to have a chill day without getting recognized as the idols they are; they just wanted to be normal inklings and octolings, having a fun time. Paeton gave herself a pat on her back for hiding her hair in her hood. That’d bring a ton of attention. 

“Hey, Paeton!” 

Paeton looked left. There was her friend. “Finally, I found you.”

Ren pushed up her sunglasses and tilted her sunhat. “Sorry if the text message didn’t help.”

“What text message?” Paeton sat down next to Ren on the bench.

“I guess you didn’t get it then?” 

“I didn’t hear a notification.”

Paeton checked her squidphone. She turned it on, and saw a notification from her messages. It was from Ren, saying that she was on a bench near the three palm trees that were adjacent to each other. The spot was also not far from the water.

Paeton turned off her phone and put it back into her jacket pocket. “I guess you did send it to me.”

Ren nodded, still writing lyrics into one of her many notebooks. “It’s fine.”

“You don’t need to work today. It’s supposed to be a relaxing day for everyone.”

“I know,” Ren stopped writing, “but I got a lot of inspiration since we got here. Can’t lose it now.”

“We have a lot of time to do it later. Why now?”

The octoling didn’t answer for a moment. “I’m not sure if I can answer that.” She blushed in embarrassment.

Paeton took the notebook and closed it. “Gina said to not overwork yourself.”

Ren fiddled with her pencil. “Alright. . .”

“Let’s go to the water.”

“But we can’t-”

“I know but we’re just going to look at it. C’mon!” Paeton motioned her hand

\---

A few words can be described of what Naeyeon was feeling. Scratch that, a bunch of words flashed through his head. He and Dio were currently in an eerie alleyway. Would they ever try to hide in a place like that again? They hoped not. But if they get mobbed again, then probably so.

In the beginning, it was just the two shopping for a variety of things. They mainly bought snacks and clothes. For himself though, Dio bought Squid Racer. He hadn’t seen the game in stores back in Anahita City, so he had to take the chance. While he was doing that, Naeyeon wandered off outside. From his Fresh Fish Head, Naeyeon could see that they were not in an isolated area. The district was not bombarded with people, but there were still a lot.

All was well until Naeyeon went walking and bumped into an inkling. He stumbled onto the floor, with his Fresh Fish Head tumbling off of his head and a few of his bags scattering around.

“I’m sorry!” Naeyeon apologized, not yet looking at the boy he accidently hit. 

“No, it is alright. Do you need help?”

He looked up. The inkling was wearing a Special Forces Beret, which was covering most of his orange tentacles, and a Forge Inkling Parka. He was kneeling down, his hand held out. Naeyeon took his hand. A second soon he was back onto his feet. 

“Thanks,” Naeyeon said simply, but sincerely. 

The inkling picked up the headgear and bags, and handed them over to Naeyeon. “It is no problem. But, I advise you to be more careful of your surroundings.”

Naeyeon nodded as he took his belongings back. Suddenly the two heard a squeal. 

“It’s SnowFall from the Splatcculents!” Someone pointed to Naeyeon. 

The inkling gave Naeyeon a ‘huh?’ expression. Naeyeon sheepishly grinned at him, but he swiftly went the other direction and bolted away. Dio, who just came out of the store, saw the incident. From that, he began running off, following Naeyeon into the unknown. 

A shrimp gasped. “I think that was Turtlequois!”

Many had chased after the two. Some were more calm and stayed behind, wanting to give the two some space. The inkling who gave a small assistance to Naeyeon was beyond confused though. “W. . .Who was that?”

“Ah! Army! Where did everyone go?”

Army shut his eyes in slight annoyance. He remembered why he was in this area in the first place. “They followed these two inklings*. Why are you concerned about that, Aloha?”

**_[*In the world of Splatoon, inklings believe octolings in the Square are just inklings with cool hairstyles]_ **

Aloha groaned. “I can’t find my team. They left while I was in the store. I thought they were with you?”

Army shook his head. “They never came around to me. Possibly, they could be a part of the crowd that left?”

“Who were the two the crowd was following anyway?” All of a sudden his eyes gleamed. “Was it the Squid Sisters or Off the Hook? ♫”

Once more, Army shook his head. “No. I believe it was the Splatcculents? I am not sure what that fan had said.”

“The Splatcculents? They have been growing bigger here. Darn, it would have been cool to see them. Did they look exactly like how they are from the concert photos? ♫”

“I don’t have the time to pay attention to that stuff. Could we just go already? I have things to do Aloha.” 

Aloha pouted. “You’re no fun, you curry boy.”

“You’re the one who dragged me here, party animal!”

\---

Music and the sounds of games boomed into the fours’ ears as they entered the arcade. Mixed together, it could be a bit overbearing. But it was rather expected that the arcade was going to be loud. The four went into a very popular place. Cedar and Coco went onto the internet, found one of the best rated places, and settled for it. As if now, they were unsure with their decision. The noises that came from the arcade was one thing, but there were also a ton of people in the humongous arcade. 

“Okay,” Coco pulled her hoodie strings down, “don’t get caught. I kinda don’t want to get mobbed, y’know?”

Gina had an uncertain expression. “Yeah, but like what we usually say, it shows how much the fans love us right?”

“When did we ever say that?”

“Uh, Kieth, Ren, and I say it. Wait, I don’t think we said it to you guys yet.”

Kieth jumped in. “No, we haven’t.”

Coco squinted her eyes. “Alright, yeah, that’s true, I guess. I just want to enjoy my time here, like a normal person.”

“Are you implying you aren’t a normal person? Are you an alien?!” Cedar made a defensive pose and pointed a finger gun at Coco.

Coco dramatically gasped. “N-No, not like this Cedar-”

“Yo, how much cash did you all bring?” Gina opened her wallet.

“Enough,” said the other three.

Gina deadpanned. “And how much is enough?”

They all glanced at each other. “Enough.”

“Why did I agree to come with you guys?” Gina sighed as she picked out a few coins. “Want to split up?”

Coco pulled on her strings more. “Sure. Again, don’t get caught you idiots.” Coco scurried off upstairs, where there were more dancing related games.

“I’ll call you guys when we should get going, alright? I’ll text Coco that. ” Gina informed.

Kieth took out a few of her own coins. “Whatever you say, leader.”

“See you guys!” Gina rushed off into the rhythm games.

“Welp, it’s not going to be long until I see her,” Kieth said.

Cedar went toward the stairs. “Bye.”

The four weren’t sure how long they were there for, except Gina since she checked her phone every few games she played. She counted an equivalent to four hours, which was enough time in the arcade for the day. Gina finished her last song, and stepped back a bit. Her overall score was a double S. She grinned in victory. After some time of playing rhythm games, she’s been getting better and better. 

Gina picked up her bag that sat on the side of the machine and walked off to the lobby. She took her phone from the bag and dialed Coco’s number. A few rings went by, but for a few seconds, the inkling did not answer. Gina didn’t expect Coco to answer her call instantly, but she believed Coco to be one of the more responsible members of the group. After a minute, Gina ended the call and contacted Cedar. He was basically like the “third person in command”, so she trusted him to be at least more responsive. She pressed the call button.

Immediately he picked up the call. “We’re going now?”

“Yep. Do you know where Coco and Kieth are? I haven't called Kieth yet, but Coco didn’t answer my call.”

“Uh,” Cedar went quiet, letting music from his end of the line go through, “she’s still playing a dancing game.”

Gina blinked. “I wonder how long she spent playing those. Which game is it?”

“I’m not sure what it’s called. There are others blocking my view a bit. But the main colors of the machine are pink, purple, and green.”

“I think I passed by that before. I’ll try to find you. See you then!” Gina hung up.

Being the group leader, and the second eldest, was difficult at times. Some members didn’t listen to her that much, unless it was very serious. The only way they could really listen is if Kuruma was around. Paeton could intimidate the band, but only to a certain level, which wasn’t very high. Their co-manager couldn’t do much if she was with the band. Ren made a few differences when it came to things like this, as she was more strict and easier to irritate. But she still couldn’t make the group follow her too even as the eldest and second-in-command; she was still too nice in the end. Gina sighed in defeat. 

“I can’t believe all of us are almost seventeen. . .except Coco.” Gina mumbled.

She stepped up the stairs to the second floor of the arcade. The octoling rose her eyebrows in amusement, but at herself. She didn’t explore this part of the arcade that much. She did tell Cedar that she passed the game Coco was playing, but she didn’t spend too much of her time on the second floor. At least she could say that she could remember where it was. 

Cheering could be heard within the blasting music. From a distance, Gina could see a small cluster of people surrounding a game. The game seemed to be colored pink, purple, and green. There was her target. Gina sped to the group. She found Coco going against a cyan inkling wearing a mask. Both were doing very well with their movements, getting perfects or greats for each step. The score counter showed that Coco was beating the cyan inkling by a few hundred points.

Gina, being the supportive friend she was, was about shout out encouragement to Coco. Then Cedar appeared.

“Hello.” Cedar stood next to Gina.

Gina jumped. “You scared me!”

“You were actually scared by that?”

“You came out of nowhere!”

“Eh, yeah. Anyway, who do you think will win?”

Gina, as if Cedar didn’t just pop up next to her and frightened her, responded, “I think Coco’s going to win. She’s been playing these back at home, whenever we had time. I heard that the arcade she went to a lot had a dancing game with a few of her favorite artists.”

Cedar saw the masked inkling miss a step. “And she always chose the most difficult mode. They only chose hard, since that guy chose that setting.”

Then the song came to an end, with Coco being the winner of the two.

“Ayyy!” Coco cheered with an enthusiastic smile. The crowd applauded and congratulated Coco. Few had dispersed then. 

The cyan inkling stared at Coco. “Yooou did a goood jooob. . . Congraaaats.”

“Good game.” Coco pointed a finger gun at him. 

Without a response, he wandered off. The inkling was most likely going to play other games that were available. 

Gina yawned. “Oi, we have to get going.”

Coco stepped off the dancing platform. “You’re not my mom.”

“Respect your elders!”

“So?” Coco lied her elbow onto Gina’s head.

Gina glared into the wall. “I know, I’m short.”

Cedar adjusted his welding mask. “Shouldn’t we get going?”

“Yes.” Gina lifted Coco’s arms off her head. “We just need to find Kieth.”

“Yeah?” Kieth was behind Gina.

Gina jolted up once more. “Where are you guys even coming from?!”

Kieth pointed to a racing game. “I was there and then I heard you. So we’re going now?”

“Yep. We’ve been here for four hours already. I wonder how the others are.”

Coco said, “Probably dead.”

“We’re dead too so-” Gina gave them a thumbs up.

Coco paused. She and Cedar said, “You’re not wrong.”

Kieth typed on her phone. “Ren said she and Paeton are waiting for us at Inkopolis Square. They’re near a food truck or something. Oh, they found Naeyeon and Dio now.”

“Whoop, let’s go!” Gina speedily went to the stairs and down. 

Kieth screeched, “Why are you so fast?!”

Coco ran along with Gina. “You’re just slow!”

Cedar walked normally, alongside Kieth. “You don’t need to run. I don’t think we’re too far from the train station. And it’s not like the last train is going to be the next minute.”

“Tell that to them.” Kieth groaned. She didn’t like running a lot. 

\---

Dio swiped through his social media. “Are they almost here yet?”

“They’ll be here soon, I’m sure. Just be patient.” Ren sipped on the coffee she bought from a nearby shop.

Naeyeon put his head onto the table. “It’s been forever!”

Paeton stated, “It’s been eight minutes since you two came along.”

“Still!” Naeyeon exclaimed, but not too loudly.

Currently, the four were sitting around a table. They didn’t have anywhere else to wait around. First, the four were going to wait in the Shoal, but Ren ended up canceling that since it wouldn’t be long until the rest of the band came along. While they waited, Ren kept on writing in her notebook, and Paeton, Naeyeon, and Dio went to try out Squid Beatz 2. Ren smiled as she looked up at the three having fun with the game. Naeyeon was playing first, and he was doing alright. The mode he was playing was normal too. Hard mode on Squid Beatz was very difficult, so it was best if they just played on normal mode. 

Ren threw away her cup in a trashcan nearby. She went back to the table and her chair, picked up her notebook, and put the pencil back onto the last letter she left off at. A voice called out then. “Rantaro!”

The inkling sat down on the chair next to Ren. “Hey Kieth,” she spoke in a hushed voice, “you made it. Where are the others?”

“With Naeyeon, Dio, and Paeton.”

“Ah.”

Ren pulled out a pair of sunglasses from her bag and gave them to Kieth. “No one caught on yet? Even though you just wore your fedora?”

Kieth took the sunglasses and put them on. “Nah. Surprisingly, no one found out yet.”

“What’s up and how ya doing?” Coco slid into one of the chairs. 

Ren removed her pencil and notebook from the table. “Good, you?”

Coco shrugged. “Fine. So, what do you think of the Square?” 

Kieth said, “I forgot to wear my contacts and bring my glasses, so I can’t exactly see well.”

“It looks very trendy. But it’s smaller than home’s. And there’s even more decor and billboards in Anahita. . .” Ren gazed upon the Square.

Coco jumped from her chair. “We gon’ do turf war. No, ranked battles!”

A few inklings turned to look at the table with the three. Ren tilted her sunhat down, and so did Kihanna with her fedora. Coco slowly tightened her hoodie. “Y’all saw nothing.”

A few murmurs went by as those few inklings went back to do what they did previously. 

Gina rushed over. “What happened?”

“She just shouted, that’s all,” Ren said, readjusting her hat so she could see. “By the way, are you guys finished with the game?”

Cedar joined in. “Yeah, we’re done. But Naeyeon, Paeton, and Dio went into the clothing shop. Ye Olde Cloth Shoppe. . . ?”

“Wait that’s what the clothing shop is called?” Kieth asked.

Cedar double checked the sign of the shop. “Yeah.”

Kieth got up from her chair. “I’m going in there.”

Ren lightly laughed. “Of course you would. I guess I’ll check Headspace then.” Ren stood up, fixed her bag strap, pushed in her chair, and walked off to the headgear shop.

“I’ll come with you.” Gina skipped over to Ren. The two seemed to say something as they went to the store. Faint laughter was heard from them. 

“You guys going to a shop?” Kieth pushed in her chair as well.

Coco said, “Cedar, wanna go to the weapon shop?”

“I guess so,” he replied.

“Aight. Mush!” Coco pointed to Ammo Knights. 

Cedar just started to walk normally to the shop, leaving Coco behind. Coco’s lips went straight. “Well.” 

“I’m gonna go too. See ya Coco.” Kieth waved goodbye and left to the clothing shop.

Unknown to the band, there was a bit more to Inkopolis Square than what they expected (except Naeyeon since he searched more about the Square). There were pieces of gear that were unfamiliar. Kieth was holding a few shirts that she found appealing, and she conversed with Jelfonzo despite his outdated speech. Boy, did she learn a lot of fashion tips from the jellyfish. Overhearing the jellyfish and the inkling, Naeyeon and Paeton learned a bit too while they browsed at the clothes lined up. Dio didn’t care much to listen, and minded his own business. In the end, each had a few shirts that they bought. They paid separately.

With Gina and Ren, they tried out many kinds of headgear. Actually, they weren’t looking for anything to buy, but it wouldn’t hurt to try what the shop has to offer. Flow smiled with delight at the two octoling girls. They seemed to be having fun with each other, putting hats, glasses, and helmets onto each other’s head. Craymond stayed silent and eventually went to look at customers who came through the doors. 

Lastly with Coco and Cedar, Coco marvelled over a few weapons. She held a black and white sloshing machine, the Kensa Sloshing Machine. Some brands were rare back in Anahita City, so the Kensa weapons piqued Coco’s interest. 

“I’m getting this,” Coco declared.

“If you want to.” Cedar held a Grim Range Blaster.

Coco stepped over to Sheldon. “Could I learn a bit more about this weapon.” She showed the horseshoe crab the slosher.

Sheldon took a quick look at the weapon. “Oh! This is the Kensa Sloshing Machine! If you’re looking for a strong weapon, this is the one for you! The range on it is pretty good as well. But be careful, it may not be easy to handle if you don’t know how to use it properly!” 

“What are the sub-weapon and special for it?”

“Its sub-weapon is the Fizzy Bomb, and the special is a Splashdown!”

Coco looked down at the slosher, then back to Sheldon. “I’ll take it.”

“That’ll be 20,700!” Sheldon said.

In a moment, Coco paid Sheldon his cash. Apparently she carried a lot of money with her, no matter where she went. Unless she was going out for only a walk or something along the lines. Sheldon thanked the inkling, and put the cash away. 

Sheldon then went to Cedar. “You seem to be interested in the Grim Range Blaster; do you intend to get it? It’s a very-”

Cedar held up his hand, signaling Sheldon to not give the information on the blaster. “It’s fine, you don’t need to describe it. I already have a weapon I’m comfortable with.”

“Oh, then forgive me if I disturbed you!” Sheldon made a 45 degree bow.

“Really, it’s fine.” Cedar set the weapon back onto the shelf. “You ready Shad?”

Coco hugged her new slosher happily. “Yeee.”

Sheldon, holding his hands together, chirped, “Farewell you two!”

The inklings returned the goodbye before they left the doors of the shop. They weren’t greeted with the other members when they got out. Everyone else was probably still in the gear shops. No one in the Square resembled the signature halo ink color the group possessed. Coco and Cedar were heading to the tables, until they saw that all of the tables were occupied by other inklings. There were mainly groups of four, each individual group hanging out together or perhaps discussing battles from what they could overhear. Then there were a few couples, who were having a merry time together, sharing sweets, talking to each other, all of the sappy things. 

Coco blurted out, “I want a girlfriend.”

Cedar wasn’t shocked by what she said. Coco mentioned this more than once within the years the group spent together. The group is also very accepting. Thinking about the idea of relationships, Coco thought about something. Almost everyone in the group at least dreamed of having a special someone in their life. But with the life and career they have now, they can’t exactly date without a semi-long distance relationship, or having work get in the way. Coco loved her job and her friends, but she wanted to have more freedom. No, the whole group wanted to have more freedom. Was giving up the job really worth it to them? Certainly not. To them that’d be like giving up your own life. 

“We should probably wait until we’re older,” Coco thought. “Actually, no, I don’t care-”

A door slid open, the sound making Cedar and Coco look back at the shops. Gina and Ren came out from the Headspace. The girls held nothing but the bags they usually carried with them. 

Cedar asked them, “You guys didn’t get anything?”

“No, we didn’t. We just tried things on,” Ren said.

“There were good things in the shop.” Gina pulled up her scrunchie, making her low ponytail tight again. “Flow told me that the gear is different each day, so there will be something new, or something you’ll see again.” 

“Eh,” Coco felt indifferent by the note, “I don’t think I need anything from there.”

Another door opened, this time coming from Ye Olde Cloth Shoppe. Out came the four that will then complete the group. They each had a fancy bag with the logo of the shop imprinted onto it. 

“I see you guys got something.” Ren set her sunglasses back to cover her eyes. 

“Well I see that. . .” Naeyeon scanned the items the four had. “. . .Coco got something.”

Coco inched away defensively. “Mine.”

“I’m not going to take it, “Naeyeon said, his laugh trailing off. 

A distant voice was heard from the band. “They look so fresh!”

“I know right? Do you think they come from a different city?”

Then a camera flashed, and then another. This alerted the group. Gina whispered, “Okay, time to go back to the hotel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter may take a bit longer to post. I've been having a lot of writer's block lately...  
> But next chapter will start with Team Blue, specifically Headphones! Stay tuned and thanks for reading! ^^


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